Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), labeled a court decision barring her from running for office for five years as a “political decision” at a rally in Paris on Sunday. Speaking to thousands of supporters in Place Vauban, near the Eiffel Tower, she declared that she wouldn’t relinquish her ambitions. Earlier on Monday, she was found guilty of assisting in the embezzlement of €2.9m (£2.5m) of European Union funds between 2004 and 2016 for her party’s use and has since filed an appeal.
At the rally, Le Pen accused the court ruling of being a “witch hunt” against her party, insisting that they seek fairness under the law, not to operate above it. Jordan Bardella, the RN party’s president, condemned the court’s decision as a direct attack on democracy and distrusted millions of French patriots. Bardella argued that the ruling’s purpose was to eliminate Le Pen from the presidential race in 2027. Gabriel Attal, the leader of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, retorted that the principle is “you steal, you pay” and criticized the perceived interference in France’s domestic affairs, pointing to endorsements from right-wing leaders like Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban.
Donald Trump, the former U.S. President, called Le Pen’s conviction a “very big deal.” A poll conducted by BFMTV following Monday’s ruling suggested that 57% of the French population believe the judicial process was free from prejudice. The Paris Court of Appeal expects to deliver a verdict by the summer of 2026, preceding the 2027 presidential election.
Le Pen was planning her fourth bid for the presidency with a strong chance of victory. In addition to the five-year ban from public office, she received a €100,000 (£82,635) fine and a four-year prison term, with two years suspended. This punishment will only be enforced after the appeals process concludes, which could take years.
RN’s spokesperson, Laurent Jacobelli, stated that while the party will fight to have Le Pen as its candidate, Bardella is “the most naturally legitimate” alternative. Although Bardella has not officially declared himself as a backup plan, a poll taken before Le Pen’s sentencing indicated around 60% of RN voters would prefer Bardella as their candidate. French President Macron is ineligible to stand for another term in the next presidential election.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dg90l7ymlo
